How To Make Classic Birthday Cake

Birthday cake is the only thing you need to make a birthday special. Whether you're celebrating your kids or yourself, I believe everyone should have a cake on their birthday. Homemade birthday cake is one of my favorite gifts to give, despite having a family birthday in almost every month of the year. The secret to pulling off a homemade birthday cake at any time is a one-bowl cake that bakes up buttery and tender-crumbed, topped off with swirls of flavorful buttercream and a smattering of sprinkles. Making and decorating a homemade cake is easy and impressive once you've done it a few times. Here's how to make a classic, kid-friendly birthday cake for any birthday celebration.

Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix is one of my favorite nostalgic treats of all time, but after having gone without eating it for several years, I was disappointed by the cake the mix baked up. Shortly after, I discovered Faith's Yellow Butter Cake recipe, which is the recipe you'll find below. This cake recipe bakes up moist and tender with a rich, buttery flavor, thanks to both to the butter and the whole eggs used in the cake batter. Here are a few keys to baking up the perfect yellow cake for birthday-cake building. Grease the pans well: To prevent sticking, use nonstick spray or extra butter and flour to coat the pans.

For extra insurance, you can line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper rounds. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before flipping them out. Make sure to use room-temperature butter: Proper creaming, that is beating together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, gives the cake its tender crumb and aids in its rise. Using softened butter makes creaming easier, but also makes the batter ready for the addition of eggs, flour, and milk. Mix well: Once the eggs, flour mixture, and milk have been added, beat the batter for 3 minutes. Worried that an over-mixed cake will be tough and chewy, new bakers often baby the batter, which can lead to an uneven rise, or a tunnel-filled or flat cake.

Mixing well makes the batter homogenous while incorporating air. Cool completely before frosting: While you can mix up the frosting while the cake bakes, you'll have to wait until the cake is completely cool to frost it. Read more: What's the Difference Between White, Yellow, and Vanilla Cake, The classic chocolate frosting you typically see swirled on yellow cake is dark and rich — a perfect indulgence for adult tastes, but often too dark for young ones. The recipe below is flavored with Ovaltine — a malty chocolate drink mix — instead of unsweetened chocolate or cocoa powder. I've also included instructions for adding melted unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate to the whipped frosting.